Injured back legs now toothpicks

[fattymcbutterpants]

Ok last January I fractured a vertebrae, then a few months later did it again to the same one. Long story short to this day it still hurts but I am finally regaining some strength in my lower back. After practically a year without more than the occasional leg workout they are definately lacking. If I do legs 2 days a week do you think that will help me get them caught up? I also am gonna be doing lighter weight deadlifts and stiff legged deads to try to build my glutes up lol. My body goes straight from my back to my legs haha no ass in between which isnt a big deal I guess but I feel unproportionate.

But so do you all think training legs twice a week will do good at getting me some size back? I cant go very heavy but I use good form and really work hard at it.

Anyways thanks guys

[terraj]

can you leg press?

whats your physio say about weight training?

[BigBuck6]

To add to Terraj's post, leg presses are good and it your back feels tight place a small towel in your lumbar region to create a bit of an arch (it helped out one of my buddies in the past). First, though ask your doctor or Physical Therapist.

[fattymcbutterpants]

Yea I can leg press, he told me to basically go by feel and not to do anything like really really heavy. I havent gone over 225 on squat because it kinda hurt, and then I have been leg pressing alot and doing extensions and curls and I tried good mornings to work on my back but it was pretty painful so I stopped with them. But I will try that out Bigbuck maybe that will help some

[terraj]

might want to try smith squats, put your feet out in front a bit.

[Dukkit]

I also have a back injury. I have had to tweak my leg training.

Try doing SINGLE leg, leg presses.

Smith Lunges

Smith Front squats.

Light weights... high reps. I hit 15-20 reps. My legs are still proportionate to the rest of my body.

[dec11]

I also have a back injury. I have had to tweak my leg training.

Try doing SINGLE leg, leg presses.

Smith Lunges

Smith Front squats.

Light weights... high reps. I hit 15-20 reps. My legs are still proportionate to the rest of my body.

good advice, takes all the strain of lower back

[fattymcbutterpants]

I will try those dukkit I didnt even think about that because then it will take half the weight to get the same workout since i'm doing one leg at a time, so that will help take it easy on my back. And I will start leg pressing like crazy, and do lunges with like 80lbs or so. That hopefully will be a good start

[oldnsedentary]

Yea I can leg press, he told me to basically go by feel and not to do anything like really really heavy. I havent gone over 225 on squat because it kinda hurt

Twice fractured vertebrae, and he is still squatting with 225! You have my admiration.

I am amazed that you can squat at all.

[fattymcbutterpants]

Haha thanks man I did it all in a year. Oh and update guys my workout was
Squat: (ass to the ground)
Warmup then
135x15
185x12
185x10
185x8
I used a belt with all the 185 sets because my back was starting to hurt pretty bad

Leg Press
4 plates total x 15
6 plates x 15
8 plates x 12
8 plates x 15

Lunges
not too many but still did some

The hip abductor machine: Like the machine with the platform and the single pad you adjust and put your leg over
I did a bunch of sets to workout my glutes and hamstrings it kinda worked lol

Leg extensions
3x20
1 set of just holding it up to failure then doing a few reps then holding it again.

I was about to fall down the steps by the end so i had my first good leg workout in awhile

[oldnsedentary]

What if you did the leg press first to tire out your quads? Would that help with a better workout with the squats with a little less weight, maybe do higher reps to decrease the weight further? Doing 20-30 reps really burns.

I have to work around a bad lower back, too. It does not hurt most of the time while actually doing squats, but if I load up the bar as heavy as I am capable of doing, my lower back will ache like crazy later that day and for days afterward, making it hard to do even the most mundae daily tasks (bending over to get a pot to cook the morning's half cup of oatmeal and four eggs, for instance). Sucks.